KevinRichardsonsMoustache

Wonder if Remi had to call Mr Fox to see if Kozak could make an appearance.

This. I wouldn't want to libel anyone at this point, but it does stink to high heaven. Then again, quite a lot the club is doing is quite weird to put it mildly. Is he Championship standard?

Unless he is absolutely pants then I think he's been treated unfairly by the club. These are the depths that Aston Villa Football Club has sunk. I wonder what what excuses he has been given as to why he doesn't play: 'we spent a lot on sorting your legs out, they aren't ready yet'. We don't think you can take the emotional trauma of another leg break'.

You could hear the barrel being scraped when he arrived.

I've just read that last post back to myself. Sorry, it should be on the f-ing David Ike forum and not here. Ignore at your pleasure. Many of you will have read the angst in my posts yesterday!

I think there's far more going on than we know behind the scenes (unsurprising, I guess). The Delph and Beneteke clauses are the tip of the iceberg. I have no proof of any of this, but various things don't make sense. We know about the Adama clause - probably not surprising. I think they've clearly built clauses into transfer deals that have playing time attached to them, too. Remember Sherwood dropping Sinclair with his 'change of formation' and then, by the season's end, we discover that his transfer clause was activated by playing a certain number of games? Gestede's touch and general skill levels are pretty questionable, but he clearly had an impact on the Newcastle and WHU games. Then he's dropped to the bench yesterday. Kozak's case is utterly baffling too. We need firepower and no one will take a chance on him. Gil is much the same story. I'd say Grealish has a similar playing-time clause in his deal to trigger a new, lucrative, contract but frankly he's been a word removed with the lads. Randy, Fox and Co. aren't forcing the managers' hands with team selections, per se, they're simply tying them in red tape. This will only get worse the less points we have: the prospect of less in TV money next year will get them looking how to save prospective costs in future: these kind of selection clauses are perfect. This is not how a football club should be run and until it stops, no manager will be able to do anything truly excellent. A dead cat bounce from the Championship next season is the best we can hope. What I'm doing here is trying to explain away our problems, conspiracy-theory style. I just can't get my head around why the players we have - who are mid table at best - aren't gelling into an actual team. Maybe this is just business and to paraphrase the words of Mr Fox 'this is how every team on the planet works'. Positivity resuming in 3, 2, 1...

Can a club declare that the season is over and that we won't be playing again? I don't know if it's my time if the month or something, but I'm almost crying at this word removed.

Broken.

Appalling football. Appalling tactics. No direction. We have been a dead club for a little while now and what we are seeing here is the protracted, sombre, yet boring, funeral.

why shake hands when elbow to nose shaking is all the rage? It's now permitted - off to elbow my colleagues tomorrow.

I know nothing about Garde. But I've watched poop for a while now and I want to be excited about the club I love again. For a few minutes in that game, a few players looked like they cared. Ayew and Gil deserve all the praise they're getting. Gabby and Richardson, for all of the tub thumping about either loyalty or 'professionalism', I hope to never see start a game again. Would Wenger put up with them? Good luck, Remi.

four minutes Carles...four minutes

Dirty talk. Wonderful dirty dirty talk.

Ayew kidding?! Sorry.

Got 5 live on at the same time. Absolutely f-Ing shocking commentary and punditry. Please put Motty out to pasture.

I'm absolutely bemused by this. Low confidence: yes. Any pride at all: no. I feel empty.

A stronger squad, certainly. From a personal perspective, this has been the most intriguing and positive transfer window I've ever been through. There was that fortnight period starting with Veretout and ending with Adama that it was just exciting to be a villa fan again. Sherwood has been bold. Furthermore, Sherwood clearly wanted more exciting, perhaps unpredictable, players. He was obviously bothered by how we had no plan b once the balls to Benteke stopped working last year. I don't think Sherwood fully trusted a lot of his inherited squad either. His placement of Gabby as 'club captain' I think shows that, while rewarding loyalty, Sherwood doesn't see Gabby playing too often once Ayew gets underway. This is Sherwood's squad for sure but the whole gelling issue will continue to be a source of concern.

Pleased with this. Good, shrewd, buy for the money. Tim has a good few options at CB: Richards Lescott Okore Clark Senderos Ilori Baker Suliman

This is fascinating. Thanks for posting it. I don't really like how it's being reported. If he wants to wait on God or whatever then fine. The real issue is how cankered footballers' contracts are. That he, and perhaps Berahino, are no longer fulfilling the duties and their roles and still receiving payment. Adebayor is clearly a troubled man - the stuff about his family and the shooting are horrifying - and I hope he finds some sort of comfort before playing again. I do have to pose one question, though: To paraphrase Balotelli, 'why always him'?

So Kozak then?! Other options clearly didn't pan out. Tim obviously didn't see Austin fitting in for whatever reason. I think he's been fairly open in that he'd 'do something if someone becomes available'. That obviously didn't happen. Fair play to him for not selling us down the river for Adebayor. He claimed at the weekend that Adebayor was a friend. I think Adebayor will genuinely look back on it as a missed opportunity. At least he can do so from atop his pile of cash. If his attitude stinks or he wasn't up for it 1% then Sherwood did e right thing. I'm trying to be optimistic. The squad, on paper at least, looks far better than last season. It's just that the big goalscoring cog in the machine is either missing or an unknown commodity. It's certainly risky.

Bobby Olejnik II. Boaz Myhill II. Hope he gets a look if good enough. Welcome! Wonderful opportunity for him.

Okay, so let's read unnecessarily into this... Liam Neeson was in the A Team. Ridley Scott helped produce A Team. Scott directed Prometheus. Prometheus was a Greek myth. We're getting Samaras.

http://www.avfc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10265~4972909,00.html Is Sherwood tall or the keeper not so? On a box. Helps for facials.

Predictable link... Link removed, feel free to repost quoting the article ala site guidelines. Thanks - Trent

http://www.avfc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10265~4972909,00.html Are we sure this isn't just Sherwood's son or nephew? I'm getting old...